Luke seems to expect his readers to already be familiar with "Simon" before they heard his gospel. Luke doesn't introduce us to Simon, he simply says that Jesus entered a home and it belonged to "Simon" (Luke 4:38). Then Luke tells us that Jesus entered into a boat and that too belonged to Simon (Luke 5:3). And finally, Jesus enters into a partnership, and that too is with Simon (Luke 5:10). It seems that Simon (also known as "Peter") was already known well enough at the time of the writing of his gospel, that he did not need introduction. It also seems that Luke wants us to see that Jesus wasn't just commandeering a boat but a person. Jesus was recruiting Simon and He did so in a way that Simon could hardly refuse. Simon was so taken by the works of Jesus that He almost did refuse out of a sense of being overwhelmed and unworthy (Luke 5:8). But Jesus knew what he was doing and of all the people that Jesus and Simon Peter would "catch" together, Peter was the first.
Jesus' calling of Peter does not appear at all to be random or happenstance. Jesus pursued Peter, entering his home, healing his mother-in-law, commandeering his boat, and finally calling him into partnership for the Gospel. This is a beautiful and powerful story that displays Jesus' knowledge of people. Peter, as all the gospels testify, was a firecracker and a zealot. Peter was all in at 110% and neither would he be taken in by some con-artist. Jesus wanted this strong community leader and personality on board for His Kingdom movement and so His capturing of Peter's loyalty needed to be complete and thorough. It appears that Jesus succeeded with overwhelming effectiveness. I find this story moving and compelling. I have often been compared to Peter in my own life as a fiery and at times volatile personality. I like this story and gladly apply it to myself. But each one of us should take pleasure in the fact of Jesus' knowledge of us and passion to recruit us. Jesus knows your heart and what makes you tick as well and He is no less passionate for you as He was for Peter in these early days of His ministry. In fact, one of the main purposes of acquiring Peter's loyalty was for the purpose of recruiting you too. "From now on you (Peter) will be catching men." And maybe today God is using the partnership between Jesus and myself to catch you? Can you hear Jesus calling?